Daughter of Controversial Poet [Amiri Baraka] Is Killed at Her Sister's Home

The New York Times ^ | 8/14/03 | ROBERT HANLEY

[Pro-Bush]

he 31-year-old daughter of Amiri Baraka, the poet, playwright and civil rights activist, and a friend were found murdered late Tuesday night in the home of another of Mr. Baraka's children in Piscataway, N.J., the authorities said yesterday.

The victims, Shani Baraka, and Rayshon Holmes, 30, were shot several times and were found in the family room of the house owned by Ms. Baraka's older sister, Wanda Pasha, the Middlesex County prosecutor, Bruce Kaplan, said.

He said detectives are searching for Ms. Pasha's estranged husband, James Coleman, for questioning in the double murder

[Pro-Bush]

This may be a stain upon my soul, but I cannot muster even the illusion of sympathy for this man in his time of loss.

Well put.

[LdSentinal]

Baraka is what I envision as a Howard Dean supporter; however, if his daughter was nothing like her father, my sympathies go out to her.

[Pro-Bush]

It was a real poem, he was New Jersey's poet laureate. From salon.com (sic):

Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) warned New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey that he would "catch hell," for honoring Baraka with the title last July. The poet made good on his promise at the Geraldine R. Dodge Festival in Stanhope, N.J., on Sept. 19. Baraka read the now-notorious poem "Somebody Blew Up America," in which he suggested that 4,000 Israelis stayed home from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 because they had advance warning of the attacks. The following lines were met with boos from the crowd:

[Pro-Bush]

if his daughter was nothing like her father, my sympathies go out to her.

I am good with that as well.

[laconic]

He'll probably blame it on "the Jews" or "the devils known as white people".

[sheik yerbouty]

Baraka is a gibbering idiot.

[ExpatGator]

Does this fella floss with a tennis shoe?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Perhaps that "poem" should've been entitled "Amiri hears a who".

Wonder if he'd enjoy a poem right about now that disrespected his daughter and mocked her life?

[Cagey]

are you nuts?

Pro-Bush? You've never seen sarcasm before?

[Jhensy]

Like an Owl exploding in your life...

I hate when that happens.

[robowombat]

Yes, all the feathers and droppings, what a mess. Worse, however, is an elephant exploding in your life, much worse.

[MEG33]

That is what is now called poetry in the halls of higher learning,among the literary elites.

[em2vn]

"A POET
A PLAYWRIGHT
A CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST"
None of these things would preclude someone from being a mass of hate and venom. Conduct a Google search for the man. You will discover just how hate filled and racist the man enjoys being. He is a master of the Jessie Jackson hustle,however, his tool of choice is pen and paper.

[CaptainK]

The poet was on the local news complaining about how the cops, who had been called on 12 occasions concerning the marital strife, didn't take care of the problem.

Funny how a guy like this, who is the first to complain about police brutality, is more than happy to have them referee family fights.

The article fails to mention that the poets sister was killed during the 1980's in a similar fashion.
No jews or whites were involved, as far as I know.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Conservative glee in other's deaths has always amazed me.

[cinFLA]

Nobody said 'communist'.

[vikingcelt]

Well the poem is real. He wrote it. This dude used to be known as LeRoi Jones in the 60's. Sick creep. I am truely sorry about his daughter though.

[cinFLA]

Conservative glee in other's deaths has always amazed me.

He offered no 'glee' in their deaths; only no sympathy for Baraka.

[Deb]

If you wanna be truly "amazed", check out DU when news came of Barbara Olsen's death on 9/11.

There's no "glee" here. There was there.